Archive for January, 2012

To start this week, I”d like to include a link to “dual businesses” that are far less than my own…HERE
Wasn’t that lovely….Now take a look at this.

Big thanks to Capt. Andy for this…

I know that you can feel the magic.
Big thanks to White Pine Touring and SRAM for hosting Bikedance last Thursday. Well done for those of you who braved the storm to ride up to the bar.
Kudos to Ben, who wins “best costume”
And to me, for best smile.

In outdoor pursuit news, you’ll all be impressed, I waxed up many pairs of skis and headed out to the Nordic center on Saturday for a rather lovely skate ski experience. This was followed up on Sunday by a quite nice snow bike event.
When it comes to pug riding, I’m about as easy going as they get. I don’t really go off trail, dont head up into the Uintas, dont like to break trail, and I don’t ever push the limits on float. Yesterday I did. Riding home from the gun range, the stretch from 248 to the dump road is always last to get “Ginsu-ed”…that would be the nickname for the groomer pulled by the sled. Its always softest, and needs the most time to get packed down by the grooming and use. So I tried the Capt. Chris technique….Roll on, air down your tires to 8psi, and see. You’d all be amazed….the bike, with guns and me floated over postholes created by the filthy, shitting, badly behaved, unleashed dogs on the trail. Truely. It was great.

Thanks to everybody for a very nice birthday. Really, you are all very kind.
Of course, the email box was full of funny pictures…
And there were many Book of Faces greetings….
And pictures of midgets with machine guns…
There were gift ideas…
More gift ideas.
And photos of things from MN.
There were endorsements…
Parodys…
New band ideas…
And dreams…
There were mottos…
Reminders…
And funny things…
From Portland, there was Satire.
From LA, there was info.
And from the great midwest, words of wisdom….

Sundance is in town.
And it snowed.
Yippie.
I had to work most of the day Friday and Saturday…and some on Sunday to get the shop caught up…but I don’t mind.
I’d like to thank my neighbors, the Millers, for an amazing BBQ yesterday. Simply the finest St. Louis style short ribs I have ever had. Big thanks to Tim C for the sauces, Doug and Noel for the wine, and everybody for the BBQ.

In all honesty, I tried to make it to Sundance by attending a Neil Young Slamdance movie. As the snow fell outside, I made the decision to just pass on the movie and finish the shop work. I’ve said this before, but one of the great things about SRAM brakes are that the barbs are threaded…for easy installation..

In other Sundance nooze, Bikedance will be Thursday….starting out at White PIne Touring at 5:30.

Growing up in Detroit, two holidays that I have become quite aware of and celebrate are Kwanzaa and MLK day. Kwanzaa is nice because it kind of extends the holiday season where people are nicer than usual, and while MLK used to be a great reason to get loaded on a Sunday after skiing all day in Canada….its more of a day where I give thanks to good people in the world….like Dr. King. You should too.
I know its the google logo….but I still like it.

Alright, you know what comes next? We talk about the weather. Down south, another 60 degree weekend full of trail riding and good times. I’d like to thank my wife, the notorious K.I.M., for turning the old front door in the “parlor” into a coat hanging area….and also hanging our familys’ antique guns.

I was a lot of help during this project. Here is me doing what I do best…

In my everso slight defense, I did sell some goods over the weekend as well as get the store room organized….which is basically mounting a broom hanging pinch-clip on the wall.

Up north, snow is in the forecast. Some today, then a bunch of storms lining up for Sundance. Yippie…hopefully after work on Thursday I”ll be scraping the storage wax off my nordic and tele skies.

I”d like to take this time to show you all Stevil’s link HERE……which highlights a bicycle company that I love. Ventana. Just go to the link.

Thats all I got. People sometimes ask me how I now celebrate MLK day…..I actually simply go to work. Lots of people have the day off, they can get their teeth fixed (the shop is always closed on Mondays), and hopefully the world becomes 0.0000001% a better place.

I start looking at the weather forecasts when we get back from riding down south….and then follow them all week. Some people look at parody porn….I watch the weather.
For years, I have said that really the only reason I have cable is for the radar on the weather channel…then the interwebs came along and now I can get it on the phone….but cable now has Pawn Stars, Hotshots and cycling events….all of which I can Tivo.
So, near 60 degree weather and no snow up here makes me yearn for the desert.

For you shop rats out there, enjoy this…

DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar
stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer
across the room, denting the freshly-painted project which you had carefully set
in the corner where nothing could get to it.
WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the
workbench with the speed of light . Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned
calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, ‘Oh sh–!’
SKIL SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.
PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of
blood-blisters.
BELT SANDER: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up
jobs into major refinishing jobs.
HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle…
It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more
you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.
VISE-GRIPS: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If
nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding
heat to the palm of your hand.
OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects
in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub
out of which you want to remove a bearing race.
TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood
projectiles for testing wall integrity.
HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you
have installed your new brake shoes , trapping the jack handle firmly under the
bumper.
BAND SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good
aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can after
you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge.
TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST: A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of
everything you forgot to disconnect.
PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or for
opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but
can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.
STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans.. Sometimes used to convert
common slotted screws into non-removable screws and butchering your palms.
PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you
needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.
HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to make hoses too short.
HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a
kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we
are trying to hit.
UTILITY KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons
delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats,
vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks,
and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but
only while in use.
SON-OF-A-BITCH TOOL: (A personal favorite!) Any handy tool that you grab and
throw across the garage while yelling ‘Son of a BITCH!’ at the top of your
lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.

In cycling news, Team captain Carman and I met yesterday and are planning a little weekend of adventure in St. George that corresponds with the Desert Rampage mountain bike type race. So the weekend date is March 3rd….and to be honest, we are also thinking about returning April 7th for the cactus hugger.

I’d like to conclude this post with a rather excellent picture sent in by Sir John Bon Benson of Flagstaff Mutant days, bass player for the Shindaggers….and owner of a large tired bicycle that is fun to ride on dirt or snow.

Cyclocross wold championships happened this past weekend. You can find 1000 sites that will give you the results and the play by play for it, but I’d like to give a special congrats to Jon C. A great guy, longtime racer, longtime employee at Moots….and by the way the person who sold me my first Moots bicycle (And I do have the frame hanging at the shop still). Anyway, this is what a silver national championship medal looks like.
In weather news, Park City got a little bit of snow over the weekend. There is about 3 inches on the driveway….maybe that’ll translate to 6 in the mountians…maybe….but its looking warm and sunny for the next 10 days.
Its really surprising that all my skis are still up in the rafters with storage wax on them.
So lets talk about bike riding in Southern Utah…
Ah yes, the Stucki springs loop. Its actually been a while since I’ve ridden the loop – usually I head right for the Zen trail. But man, the trail was grand. I even stopped to take a Steve G style photo of a plant.
I do love those little chollas.
As well as the 60 degree temperatures.
Lots of bike work to do at the shop this week….but I’d be lying if I told you that I wasn’t thinking of a way to head back down south next weekend.
In closing, I’d like to leave you with a cute picture that Marty sent me….for the ‘cycling enthusiast’

Thats funny…..I can identify….back in the day, if it wasn’t a 200 mile week, it was a failure.
I’d like to report that cantilever brakes are still in vogue…especially with suggestive hangers.
In local news, there is really no snow on the horizon, and conditions are actually muddy and spring-like….please stick to riding the road or 100% dry areas if you are out there. Maybe you should go to the Gun Club instead for some target practice?
In shop news, we had the first 2012 Turner sale of the new year. Should be a really nice build. And framesets are scheduled to be finished starting in about two weeks. So job well done at Turner, where things stay on track.
Look for an update from the Mojave, where it will be 63 and sunny today.
T shirt weather….or whipped cream….which ever you prefer.

Happy 2012 Everybody.
I know your sad to see 2011 go….
I can only hope that your resolutions are strong…
Hopefully, you weren’t too hungover to ride on New Years Day…
Not I, there were a couple road sodas, but then I was in bed by 9:45.
In local cycling news, the winter of limited snowfall continues. The upside, the snowbiking is rather excellent. A mix of snow and dirt – no mud. My informants tell me Salt Lake trails are dry for the first time….basically ever.
St. George was 60 and sunny this past weekend, and the place to be for some off road bicycling fun.
Lastly, I’d like to take a moment to promote the Whiskey Offroad, in beautiful, Prescott, AZ…..where they make Rugers….of which I have 2